On The Openness Of American Universities

American universities have made remarkable achievements, which are good models for universities all over the world. Openness is one of the most obvious characteristics in U.S. universities. It does not only greatly promote the rapid development of the universities themselves, but also makes higher education enhance economic growth and social progress. At the same time, American universities are not only in the leading position in today's world, but also represent the future direction of higher education on many important aspects around the world. Therefore, it is very significant for us to explore the main features of American universities. In this paper, we firstly use Yale University as an example to illustrate American universities'openness. Secondly, we pay much attention on system analyzing American universities'openness from specific performance, reasons and significance. Finally, we greatly expect that we can have a comprehensive and objective understanding on this obvious characteristic– Openness.This paper is organized as the following six chapters.In the first chapter, we have a brief introduction about the significance of our research, research overview and main research methods.American Universities have earned many remarkable achievements and lead the direction of universities in many aspects around the world. Openness is one of the most obvious characteristics in American universities. It strongly gives vigor and vitality to the American universities. So the precious experiences and research conclusions from analyzing the openness are very helpful and meaningful for our higher education. Based on this, we mainly use qualitative research method, cause and effect method; necessary materials collected to make a comprehensive analysis for illustrate the openness in American university.In the second chapter, we try to analyze the meaning of openness, the history of openness and the level of openness. Through the "Modern Chinese Dictionary" and many references about the concept of openness, we argue that university's openness means that university should initiatively have mutual relationships and interactions with outside world in order to achieve material, energy and information exchange. At the same time, the history of the openness about the university can be retrospected from European medieval university, Modern German University and American University and it should start its openness from the following three levels, university to university, university to society and university to the world.In the third chapter, we use Yale University as a model to illustrate openness from open and democratic campus atmosphere, freedom of thinking and international perspective.Yale has contiguously achieved eye-catching achievements in his over three hundred years'history. We should not neglect that all of these can not be separated from Yale's democratic, inclusive and open atmosphere. His democratic and open characteristics are mainly focused on school management, participating in community actions and campus life. Yale University was founded by conservative Puritans, and has been keeping its own religious characteristic over the past 200 years. During the several critical hot periods in the process of higher education in the United States, Yale University has been to maintain the tradition culture, adhere to traditional educational thought, with the opposite trend of historical development. So it is marked as conservative advocate. While conservative culture is always along with Yale, the truth and light have been the final goals for Yale University over past 300 years. In pursuit of this ideal, faculties and students from Yale University sought to create an open and free academic atmosphere, and defend the freedom of thinking for all the time. In the coming of the celebrations for Yale's four hundred histories, Building a global university has become goals in the new period In order to achieve this goal, it accelerates the pace of its process of internationalization. From the curriculum, staff mobility, international co-operation, Yale shows the increasing international characteristics.In the forth chapter, we illustrate specific behavior about American university's openness from university to university, university to society and university to the world. American universities are absolutely open individual, showing great openness, all of these are performed by scientific research, teaching and cooperation in inter-school. American universities to fulfill their own social responsibilities: understand the social situation, social progress and lead social development. Cooperation from the American universities in business, serving the community both to fulfill their social responsibilities. American university education will not only serve their own, but also for the world with broad view, especially on enhancing international movement of personnel, curriculum internationalization, an international cooperation.In the fifth chapter, we try to get how the openness in American universities is formed from concept of university, self interests, U.S. cultural and pragmatic philosophy.During the long process of American universities'development over the past hundreds years, they learn educational concept from British, France and Germany. At the same time, they also have their own characteristics, which the universities in European countries do not have. That is autonomy, competition and openness. Faculties, students and funds are very important components for universities. American universities adopt an open policy with a view to bring in quality teachers, recruit high-quality students and attract adequate funding, and thus protect their own interests. Open, tolerant, freedom is the most significant American cultural identity. It is the U.S. cultural atmosphere to force American universities abandons the European traditional education ideas and absorbs many benefits from other countries in the world, which makes American universities become the leader in higher education field. Pragmatism is the local philosophy in America. At the same time, it is also the American spirit and refined ideal systems, which makes American universities transfer from the edge of community to the center and open their doors to the community.In the sixth chapter, we try to make some analysis on how the openness influences American universities from universities'vitality, increasing opportunities, promoting academic levels and ensuring the quality of personnel training.Openness makes American universities take more responsibilities, rooted in the community, serving the community, which is always the inexhaustible source of vitality; Openness also makes American universities break the barriers to entry by opening up different types of universities, let more members of society have access to higher education, and improve their ability to participate in society and promote the personal growth and development; Openness makes American universities take full advantage of an open development environment, which is the necessary basis for academic freedom and can promote academic freedom and level; Openness makes American universities ensure the quality of students on many different aspects.